Quick before Sleeping Beauty ends...

Yesterday we went to the park with Kyla - Olivia's best friend forever - and her brother Nathaniel and mom, Mel. We drove to a nice one downtown and met there. Poor Mel basically had to watch Kyla and Olivia while holding Nate in a wrap, as Daniel wanted to nurse and really took his time with it.
Things went pretty well. There are always bumps with toddlers, but it was a nice time. Then the park got taken over by big kids. Classes of kids started showing up to play in the park. I thought it was weird that teachers would bring what looked like 8 - 9 year olds to a very very toddler friendly park (plastic structure, everything at toddler heights) and then let them run wild. It was really disconcerting and the supervision was negligible. So, we sat the girls down for their snack and then they went to run around the gazebo, but more classes showed up and those ones went right to the gazebo, so we packed up (it was more or less time to go anyway, but I think Mel and I both felt like it wasn't really going to be safe for the girls any longer - and we watched a lot of other parents pack up their toddlers too - this park is filled with 2 to 6 year olds on most days). We will definitely go back, but not until school is officially out!

Look! There's Ca-ca

Olivia and I set out for a quick walk to the mailbox the other evening, which lengthened into a walk around the block. After being informed that the heavy humid air and cloud covered sky made for a "really beautiful day," we set off. At one point she wanted to run ahead and informed me that my job would naturally be to catch her. Off we went. I caught her with an "Ah ha," which was very funny. Then she started catching her imaginary friends. She caught Brown Lemur and White Lemur and The Boy and Joe Baby and DooDah. Then she proclaimed to the street that she had caught ca-ca. "Look mommy! It's ca-ca." Well, what's a parent to do when their child is so proud of finding ca-ca? Laugh - a lot and loudly. So I did (But, really how many imaginary friends is she going to have? Oh, my, i just thought - please don't let the next one be called out and out Poop.). I'm just wondering if anyone heard this little voice going on and on about ca-ca - because you know as soon as i laughed, it was neverending ca-caing all around (if it's funny once, it's funny a thousand frickin times!). I wonder what would go through people's minds when they heard that? Not to mention the discussion we had to have about staying away from the pile mommy was raking as it had dog poop in it. Is there anything louder than a child saying "Dog poop? What dog poop? What you talking about mom? Where's dog poop?" Oh wait, yes there is - it's a child claiming excitedly that ca-ca was back...

Racing roundup

Well, the Amazing Race is done for the season and I missed updating a few episodes. Oh well, gave birth, but I still slacked off!
I really enjoyed this season and I am really glad the hippies won!
Basically they almost got eliminated, then ended up first in the next leg, I think, then ended up almost eliminated again, and then they won!
Even though I really didn't like the frat boys, they were entertaining right up until the end as well. Ray and Yolanda were kind of boring, but they still made for a good mesh with the other two teams in terms of competitiveness.
I thought the frat boys seemed really sulky that they only came in second. But how much is that experience worth, right? You came in second from (was it 11 or 14 teams, I can't remember) the original group and that's after being chosen out of thousands of applicants. I think they should be pretty psyched!
Anyway, as long as they don't go astray with another family edition or a celebrity edition or anything like that, I look forward to another excellent race in the near future.
V

Some pics

Updating

My last post was April 20, which was about two months ago, so it's time for an update!
On April 21, friends came over for dessert and we all had some great sweets and shared a bottle of wine. I threw what little caution I possess to the wind and had a big glass myself. At about 2:15 a.m., I started to feel cramps and, I have to admit, sat there questioning whether this was labour or did I just have to use the bathroom... Well, it was labour and I was full blown into it at 3 a.m. when I woke Al and told him to call his mom and have her come up. We called at 3:15 as the contractions were between five and six minutes apart. Mom B got here at 4 a.m. and Alan and I were at the door waiting to go as the contractions were now two minutes apart.
We got to the hospital at about 4:20 and they started to lie me down and strap a fetal monitor on, but I was so darn huge that they couldn't, and I was rolling around in agony anyway, so I was not making it easy to try. The doctor on call had gone home for a nap, but luckily the family doctor who saw me through my pregnancy with Olivia was there and he came to do a quick check on me.
Well, I was more than seven centimeters dilated and the urge to push was strong! Unfortunately, the baby was breach, so they had to start prepping me for surgery and I had to resist the urge to push - which it turns out I am NO GOOD AT! So Alan is saying, "go ahead and cry, crying means you're not pushing" and "breathe" and I am telling him to stop talking. The nurses seem to be battling over "hee hee hoo" and "hee hee hah" as one on each side is telling me to do one or the other, and I am failing miserably at the task and I think probably looking at them like they are insane, when I am not looking absolutely terrified. And i am strongly resisting the urge to bite Alan's hand which he has trustingly put in mine.
Please remember Olivia took 20 hours from the five minutes apart point to get here. Time check as I am rolled into surgery and the obstetrician arrives is 4:40.
Daniel Jackson Berry was born at 5:12 a.m. on April 22, weighing in at 7 lbs 11oz.
This was a completely amazing and incredibly different experience from my time with Olivia. Daniel was in the room with us right away, whereas Olivia was in the special care nursery and they more or less just brought her to me for feedings every three hours for the first two days. Daniel was jaundiced and we had to keep waking him up every three hours to feed and he was in the room with me from the start. I lost some blood during the birth, so we ended up in the hospital for six days, at which point I checked myself out.
Friends and family have been wonderful - helping out, bringing food. It's been amazing. We are truly truly blessed.
Dan the man is coming along fine, gaining weight like mad - about a pound every two weeks so far (post hospital check out weight of 7.7). He is way more vocal than Olivia was - if he is hungry, tired, frustrated or needs to poop, we know it.
We are starting to get into our routines, although the true test comes in the next few weeks when Olivia's day care status drops to part time and I have the two at home with me - Ack!
The house unpacking and sorting and pitching and shifting battles on at a snail's pace, but we know we have years, so no real rush. Alan's dad has built us what Olivia calls "wall furniture", and what we would call a built-in for the living room. I cannot wait to get it in place and stop using my buffet as a TV stand. (not that I have room for the buffet anywhere else, but still...)
Sleep is still catch as catch can, but Daniel tends to do a long stretch in the night, so I can't complain about that. Nursing is certainly a re-learning experience - the kid's a fiend!
Olivia is doing really well at being the-mostly-gentle-and-caring big sister. She likes to kiss and pet him and give his head bear hugs, and she is quite the proud little miss when she shows him off to her friends.
Oh, and she has stopped telling people that his name is Donut and he is finally Daniel!
Take care,
V